Black and white, definitely some of the most recurring colours in my wardrobe. Flattering, classy and easy to pair: what's not to like? I especially like how the blacks in this outfit are actually off-blacks and dark greys, which has two important advantages: it gives some depth to the look, and the colours don't emphasize cat hairs and lint as much as a solid black garment would. Win! I really love how this outfit came together, because it's equal parts casual/nonchalant and smart/sophisticated. Like something a rock star like Alison Mosshart would wear to an official or a press conference. Not a bad look.

Are you ready for Monday? Just remember, every week brings us closer to Christmas!

We haven't put up our Christmas tree yet, but that doesn't mean I haven't started sneaking some holiday spirit into my daily routine. Hot chocolate - check. Plaid and fairisle knits - check. And obviously, I've been pinning holiday party make up like crazy. I'm not really a party animal, so I sadly have little opportunity to wear party dresses, but over the holidays we do a few friend or family get-togethers, and I like to go all out on those occasions. I received this AMAGAPERFECT green sequined long sleeve mini dress in the mail yesterday, and I couldn't wait to put together a look. A bit early, as it's not even december yet, but it might serve as inspiration to you over the next few weeks.

Remember that sequined sweater you all loved and that was sold out instantaneously? This dress is made from the same fabric, so here's your chance to fill that green sequined hole in your wardrobe!

The dress is GREAT, super sparkly and comfortable. I would advise you to check the measurements carefully, as it's not as stretchy as I thought it would be (mainly an issue in the upper arm area, so make sure the bust measurement fits!). The medium fits me, but only just (which I could have known by checking the measurements more carefully). It's also really short - I remedied that by separating the lining from the shell along the hemline, as the lining pulled up the hem while moving around. But that's a two minute job, and the result is great. This is a length I feel comfortable wearing to a party, especially if I were to add tights.

For my make up, I kept it very toned down as I wanted to create a classy look, and the sequins and the short hemline were already very "look at me". So out came my trusty Velvet Teddy, and a very soft smokey eye using purple toned neutral beiges and browns. Make up always looks a lot more subtle in pictures, so trust me if I tell you this is party appropriate make up in real life. If you want a bigger look, you could always add a cat eye or some red lipstick.

I wanted to do something with my hair, keeping with the simple/classy theme, so I grabbed some gold bobby pins and messily pulled back my front sections. This would work great with some back combing, but I don't like doing that as its quite damaging for my fine hair.

The hair was literally a two minute thing, so you could easily make this neater by using a curling iron on the loose sections, using more bobby pins or making their placement a bit more thought-out rather than the random way I shoved the bobby pins in. I should have made more of an effort too, but I was really hungry and I didn't have time. This crossed bobby pin placement is really cute! I'll do that next time.

Some dangly earrings and a comfortable pair of basic heels, et voila! Party ready. Very easy, but still packs a punch.

I feel like this sweater dress was longer last year? Maybe I washed it on a temperature too hot? Knits usually stretch back though, so I'll just have to pull it down a few times. The outfit is a lot sexier than what I usually wear, but it can be nice to do sexy now and then. The boyfriend sure appreciated it.

The star of the outfit are these boots, though. I don't think I'll ever evolve past associating wearing heels with being an adult. We all remember our first pair of heels, right? And realizing that those bastards hurt like hell? And either persevering through the pain, or giving up on heels entirely? Well, for the most part, I've given up on that ideal of being a sophisticated babe in stiletto heels 24/7. I do, however, still make an effort to wear heeled (ankle) boots semi-regularly. Heeled boots just look so darn good, and they're not nearly as uncomfortable as regular pumps or heeled sandals. Also, I have a desk job, which is a privilige I enjoy fully taking advantage of after years of working retail.

I have this one pair of low heeled vintage boots which I love to the moon and back, but I wanted something slightly more elegant, timeless, with a narrow calf circumference (I hate gaping boots) and preferably in black. I found these beautiful boots in the second shop I visited, and I knew they were the ones. They're eveything I wanted, and actually comfortable-ish for such a high heel. Yeay!

I might wear this outfit with opaque tights in the future, though. I'm not that kind of blog.

And I'm back with another high end foundation review. Today, I'm trying Chanel Vitalumière Aqua, a very popular foundation among make up artists and beauty bloggers. If so many people vouch for a product, it must be good, right? Well, spoiler alert: it is.

Chanel Vitalumière Aqua retails at 33.61€ at Ici Paris XL, and comes in a relatively limited range of shades. The BR (Beige Rosé) shades have a cool undertone, the B (Beige) shades have a warm/neutral undertone, and the BA (Beige Ambre) shades have a warm undertoon. I'm using the lightest cool toned shade here, which is BR12. This shade is a great match for my skin, even though I thought it would be too pink when I saw it in the tube.

The product has a water base, which means you have to shake it well before you use it as the product can separate in the tube. This is not an issue for me. The foundation is thin, light and somewhere between creamy and runny: not watery, but not dry or thick either. Velvetty would be the word I'd use to describe the texture.review and swatches chanel vitalumière aqua

As you can see, Chanel Vitalumière Aqua actually has very good coverage for a foundation that claims to be light! However, its coverage is completely different from the one I got from Clarins Teint Haute Tenue in a way that is remarkable but hard to explain. Let me try: whereas Clarins HT visibly covered my uneven skintone with a layer of colour, Chanel VA seems to simply make any sort of imperfection disappear. It does not look like I've covered anything up, because the texture and finish are so skin-like: it just seems like I have perfect skin. I usually get product buildup in the pores next to my nose, but the Chanel Vitalumière Aqua just glides on and leaves me with the skin I wish I was born with. You simply don't see anything that points to "hey, she's wearing something on her face!". And that's pretty amazing.

As you can see, the colour match is very good, but there's still the tiniest difference between my jawline and my neck. However, this was not noticeable in real life, and since my face is several shades darker than my neck, I sort of feel like this actually makes the end result more realistic? It reduces the colour discrepancy without removing it completely. I also love how this closeup shows how Chanel Vitalumière Aqua seems to give the skin along my jawline a luminosity that is simply not there in the skin along my neck, which seems much "flatter".

As always, I also show the product with a full face of make up on. Products used:

The beauty of this foundation is even more clear when you see it incorporated in a full face of make up. I literally ran up to my boyfriend (I can get a bit hyper sometimes) and enthousiastically told him that I didn't think my face had ever looked this amazing. Satin/velvetty, glowing, perfect, zero imperfections to be seen. A close up shows this even more clearly.

Like, woah. I'm in love.With my own face. I also made an effort to photograph this foundation after a full day of wear, 12+ hours. The lighting is artificial, but it still shows what it needs to show.

Of course, like most foundations, Chanel Vitalumière Aqua wears off after a certain amount of time. The satin finish becomes more dewy after a few hours of wear, but this can be remedied easily by applying a prime or using blotting papers/setting powder during the day. If you don't use any of those, you'll end up with what you're seeing here. Aka great skin. I can't get over how fresh and healthy this products makes me look throughout the day, as no other foundation has ever done that for me. Sure, Clarins had better staying power, but it did not make my skin look like it was naturally amazing. Just compare the end of the day pictures for Chanel with those that I took for Clarins Teint Haute Tenue. The glow makes all the difference.

Time for a comparison of all the four products I've reviewed up until now.

I don't like a true matte finish, because it only emphasizes my skin's imperfections (dry patches, uneven skintone) rather than make them disappear. A true dewy finish isn't my thing either, because a foundation that applies dewy just ends up feeling oily after a few hours, and melts off my skin in the T-zone. For me, a satin finish is best because it has a "glow from within" look that closely mimics perfect, make up less skin. This doesn't stay as well as matte finishes, but I don't mind using some powder throughout the day.

With regards to wear, I don't necessarily need my make up to remain as
flawless as when it was first applied, but I'm sick of drugstore
foundations leaving my face look patchy at the end of the day because
some bits have retained product while others have not. I prefer make up that fades evenly.

Colourwise, I feel like I've often used foundations that are either slightly too dark (which makes me look obviously made up) or slightly too pale (which makes me look ill) in the past. Experimenting with different colours is definitely worth it, because the right colour will make you look healthy and glowing. A good colour match remains imperative. I'm lucky to have a cool undertone that leans neutral, which means I can wear various undertones well, but a cool undertone makes me look healthiest.

Would you look at that gorgeous, cool november light? I'm glad I was able to catch that magic on camera. I love looking back at my old blog posts from time to time, and the ones where everything works always give me an immense feeling of satisfaction. I did that. I made that. I mean, putting together an outfit post isn't rocket science or anything, but you'd be surprised how much of a learning curve there is between what I do today, and just starting out with your small point and shoot camera and a neutral-ish background somewhere in your house.

You usually start out with zero knowledge on how lighting works, on what to do with your camera, on how to edit your pictures. I know I did. There are so many small things that go into putting together nice pictures like the one you scroll past in pinterest, and you only learn to appreciate that work when you try to create something similar yourself. And I'm happy when I can put out something that I can be proud of. So I'm happy today!

My cleated platform boots also contribute to that happiness, obviously.

What accomplishment are you proud of? Do share, and take some time to be proud of yourself!

A while ago, I spotted this gorgeous boho Isabel Marant dress on Sea of Shoes' Jane, and it totally reignited my love for feminine silhouettes, just like that. I used to be way into pretty vintage dresses a few years ago, partly because dresses are so easy to just throw on, and partly because I found it hard to find pants that fit me the way I wanted them to. Case in point: see me wearing vintage dresses here, here, here, here, here and here. But then I got sick of it because I felt like I was wearing a costume rather than just getting dressed, and basically started limiting my dress-wearing to beautiful summer days. I'm still sad about throwing out that pink dress, by the way. So stupid.

Now, I don't see myself dumping by Nikes and boyfriend jeans just yet, but I am entering a more feminine style phase again, and enjoying it! This dress is part of that new direction. I picked it up for 3€ in the monthly Think Twice sales, took it in at the sides and made the V-neckline a bit deeper, and BAM: great cold weather dress. I love the long puffed sleeves, the flattering colours and the abstract, painterly floral print. They've got sales going on right now, so I'm probably dropping by tomorrow to see what I can find. Maybe a replacement for my perfect pink cotton dress?

Hi guys! I've been reviewing some foundations for you lately (click here for my reviews of Lancôme Teint Miracle and Diorskin Nude) as I'm looking for my perfect high end foundation. I don't want to diss drugstore brand foundations, but I feel like I'm ready for the next level. There's a confidence that comes with a flawless look that stays put all day, and I'm down for that shit.

Today, I'm trying a sample of Clarins Teint Haute Tenue in shade 03 ivory: a medium-high coverage foundation with a matte finish and a neutral undertone, retailing at 30€ at Ici Paris XL. This makes Clarins Haute Tenue the most affordable of the three foundations I've tried until now. The formula is thick, very pigmented (which means you don't need a lot of product to get nice coverage, has SPF15 and claims to stay put for 15 hours. I don't know who'd actually need 15 hour coverage (Superwoman, perhaps, or politicians?), but in my experience, beauty products overstate their merits, so a claim of 15 hour perfect wear should be interpreted along the lines of "stays put really well". In addition, unlike most other long wear foundations, this one claims to be suitable for dry as well as oily skin.

Let's take a look at what it does for my dry/combination, sensitive skin.

left: nothing but moisturizer, right: Clarins Teint Haute Tenue

Clarins does what it promises: it provides great coverage and a matte finish. Of all the foundations I've tried, I'd say this one covers discolouration best.

The colourmatch is pretty good as well, as there is no noticeable colour line along my jaw. However, when we go in for a close up, you'll see why I'm not loving this foundation as much as I should.

Just look at my forehead: if you have ANY sort of dry patches or or unevenness, this foundation will emphasize that. If you want Clarins Haute Tenue to look perfect, you'll have to moisturize and exfoliate like crazy. Additionally, even though the display said that this product was suited for all skintypes, I'd recommend it to people with normal to oily skin.

I'm sounding very negative, but the foundation did look quite nice when used with a my regular make up look.

Products used:

- Sleek Face Form kit in Light (contouring and highlighting powder)

- Gemey Maybelline Volum' Express mascara

- & Other Stories eyebrow powder "4"

- Mac lipstick in Velvet Teddy

- Park Avenue blush "01"

A true matte finish, as you can see, and great coverage that is only slightly diminished by product clinging to dry patches. And I have to say: it really did stay put for an entire day, without any shine or fading at all. Check out below what the foundation looked like after 13 hours of wear. I did not use primer, setting powder or blotting papers, nor did I touch up my make up in any way. The artificial light (and my lack of lipstick) isn't very flattering, but you get the picture. I could definitely go out after just touching up my eyes and lips.

Conclusion: great product if you have oily skin, don't mind doing some prep work, and/or want a flawless look that will last all day. Not recommended for dry skin, or people who want their make up to look natural without effort. I'm glad I tried this sample, because now I know for sure that I prefer more dewy foundations. For some reason, I always look more tired and less healthy when I use a matte foundation.

This coat will undoubtedly be a favourite for the next few months. I bought it during the previous winter sales, aka the best time to buy classic, high quality winter items like coats and boots that you will still like a year later. This coat was marked down to 25€ from 100€, which is a total steal for a long, heavy wool coat like this one. Thanks for the heads up, Paulien! Long coats (at least knee length) are having a moment right now, and it's a silhouette that is surprisingly versatile, looking just as good with skirts and dresses as with a more casual look, like this one. Experiment with lengths to find one that works for you, as a long coat can also drag you down if the proportions aren't right.

A long coat is definitely a piece worth investing in, by the way, as this particular silhouette has been in style for like, the past 100 years, but getting the chance to buy one for just 25€ is even nicer. MORE MONEY FOR OTHER STUFFZ

I really don't look forward to the moment when we all get sick of this casual-chic look of mixing comfy pants and sneakers with fancy outerwear. I mean, it's just such a practical take on youthful yet mature elegance! Let's just stay this way forever and ever. I don't want to give up the experience of wearing Nike Roshe Runs and still feeling dressed up.